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Tight Squeeze
TE Position Is Full Of Talent
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: This is the fourth in an 11-part series analyzing every position on the Cowboys' roster, providing a quick look back before addressing the needs of each spot on the field and how it can be improved heading into the 2011 season. Today we examine the tight ends.)
Pressing Matters: Really, there's nothing to worry about for the Cowboys at tight end, other than to hope their future Ring of Honor member, and potential Hall-of-Famer Jason Witten stays healthy. But even if his 112-game ironman streak was snapped by injury, the club is set up about as well as could be expected, as former second-round pick Martellus Bennett developed into a more consistent player in 2010.
Typically accepting of his role for the first three years of his career, Bennett tweeted one suggestion earlier this offseason that he is ready to be "the guy." But, it's unlikely the Cowboys will be willing to let him get away, especially considering the fact that a potential lockout would eliminate teams' ability to trade players for draft picks. Instead, the club will probably bring back Bennett to play out the last year of his rookie contract. Though not the top option at tight end, Bennett might as well be considered a first-teamer, since he logged a career-high 11 starts last season and has a valuable role as an extra blocker and sometimes receiver.
Behind the two solid players at the top of the depth chart, the Cowboys have to be excited about the return of 2009 sixth-round pick John Phillips, who showed promise in his rookie season and threatened to push Bennett for playing time before tearing his ACL in the preseason opener. He should be fully recovered in time for training camp when, unlike last season, the Cowboys figure to have enough healthy bodies to lessen the load on their top tight ends in the event of injuries.
2010 Evaluation: Following his seventh consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, it's likely Jason Witten will be named Offensive MVP by the Cowboys organization before next year. His 2010 was among the best campaigns he has had, equaling the 94 catches he hauled in the season prior. His final grab of the year pushed him over 1,000 yards for the third time in his career and advanced his personal best touchdown total to nine. The late score against Philadelphia also secured a winning record for the Cowboys over the second half of the season.
With Witten on board, along with a few other talented weapons, Bennett will never become a statistical monster as a No. 2 tight end. The real strength of his game at this point is at the line of scrimmage, though he didn't always have success as a blocker in 2010. He was a much more steady option receiving the ball, and opportunities came at a higher rate than ever before. He was targeted 48 times on the year, catching 33 balls, mostly for underneath gains, but didn't score a touchdown for the second straight season.
Need More From ... : The No. 3 tight end. Phillips' injury, which occurred on Aug. 8, more than a month before the start of the regular season, caused noticeable problems all year. Figuring they were set at the position, the team had no worthwhile options behind Phillips on the camp roster. They rode former practice squad member Scott Chandler for most of the year before switching to Martin Rucker for the final month, but neither was as strong a blocker as Phillips, and neither provided anything as pass-catchers.
The Cowboys had planned to feature three-tight end sets often, but went away from that style because of the lack of versatile depth. Fullback Chris Gronkowski was not able to totally take over Phillips' H-back role.
Upgrades Needed: If anything, the only action to expect at the tight end position should be a late-round pick or a priority rookie free agent to serve as injury insurance. The team thought they had that last year in Scott Sicko of New Hampshire, but he didn't pan out.
Position Analysis:
Jason Witten: Whether it was Tony Romo, Jon Kitna or Stephen McGee at quarterback, Witten was the most trusted target, and should be for some time.
Martellus Bennett: Not the big-play weapon the Cowboys might've hoped he would become, but is a solid No. 2 and could be a decent fill-in if something happened to Witten.
John Phillips: After impressing early in training camp, Phillips' injury was an early bummer. He's had plenty of time to heal, though, and should pick up where he left off.
Martin Rucker: The 2008 fourth-rounder of the Browns has some receiving skills, but is not built to be effective enough as a blocker, which the Cowboys need from their depth tight ends.
Jason Pociask: A veteran of the UFL, he was brought back to the practice squad late in the season after spending part of training camp with the team following Phillips' injury.
TE Position Is Full Of Talent
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: This is the fourth in an 11-part series analyzing every position on the Cowboys' roster, providing a quick look back before addressing the needs of each spot on the field and how it can be improved heading into the 2011 season. Today we examine the tight ends.)
Pressing Matters: Really, there's nothing to worry about for the Cowboys at tight end, other than to hope their future Ring of Honor member, and potential Hall-of-Famer Jason Witten stays healthy. But even if his 112-game ironman streak was snapped by injury, the club is set up about as well as could be expected, as former second-round pick Martellus Bennett developed into a more consistent player in 2010.
Typically accepting of his role for the first three years of his career, Bennett tweeted one suggestion earlier this offseason that he is ready to be "the guy." But, it's unlikely the Cowboys will be willing to let him get away, especially considering the fact that a potential lockout would eliminate teams' ability to trade players for draft picks. Instead, the club will probably bring back Bennett to play out the last year of his rookie contract. Though not the top option at tight end, Bennett might as well be considered a first-teamer, since he logged a career-high 11 starts last season and has a valuable role as an extra blocker and sometimes receiver.
Behind the two solid players at the top of the depth chart, the Cowboys have to be excited about the return of 2009 sixth-round pick John Phillips, who showed promise in his rookie season and threatened to push Bennett for playing time before tearing his ACL in the preseason opener. He should be fully recovered in time for training camp when, unlike last season, the Cowboys figure to have enough healthy bodies to lessen the load on their top tight ends in the event of injuries.
2010 Evaluation: Following his seventh consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, it's likely Jason Witten will be named Offensive MVP by the Cowboys organization before next year. His 2010 was among the best campaigns he has had, equaling the 94 catches he hauled in the season prior. His final grab of the year pushed him over 1,000 yards for the third time in his career and advanced his personal best touchdown total to nine. The late score against Philadelphia also secured a winning record for the Cowboys over the second half of the season.
With Witten on board, along with a few other talented weapons, Bennett will never become a statistical monster as a No. 2 tight end. The real strength of his game at this point is at the line of scrimmage, though he didn't always have success as a blocker in 2010. He was a much more steady option receiving the ball, and opportunities came at a higher rate than ever before. He was targeted 48 times on the year, catching 33 balls, mostly for underneath gains, but didn't score a touchdown for the second straight season.
Need More From ... : The No. 3 tight end. Phillips' injury, which occurred on Aug. 8, more than a month before the start of the regular season, caused noticeable problems all year. Figuring they were set at the position, the team had no worthwhile options behind Phillips on the camp roster. They rode former practice squad member Scott Chandler for most of the year before switching to Martin Rucker for the final month, but neither was as strong a blocker as Phillips, and neither provided anything as pass-catchers.
The Cowboys had planned to feature three-tight end sets often, but went away from that style because of the lack of versatile depth. Fullback Chris Gronkowski was not able to totally take over Phillips' H-back role.
Upgrades Needed: If anything, the only action to expect at the tight end position should be a late-round pick or a priority rookie free agent to serve as injury insurance. The team thought they had that last year in Scott Sicko of New Hampshire, but he didn't pan out.
Position Analysis:
Jason Witten: Whether it was Tony Romo, Jon Kitna or Stephen McGee at quarterback, Witten was the most trusted target, and should be for some time.
Martellus Bennett: Not the big-play weapon the Cowboys might've hoped he would become, but is a solid No. 2 and could be a decent fill-in if something happened to Witten.
John Phillips: After impressing early in training camp, Phillips' injury was an early bummer. He's had plenty of time to heal, though, and should pick up where he left off.
Martin Rucker: The 2008 fourth-rounder of the Browns has some receiving skills, but is not built to be effective enough as a blocker, which the Cowboys need from their depth tight ends.
Jason Pociask: A veteran of the UFL, he was brought back to the practice squad late in the season after spending part of training camp with the team following Phillips' injury.